Method of making theft-proof credit card

ABSTRACT

A credit card or similar identification card is constructed in the form now commonly accepted with the added step of making one segment easily separable from the card to be carried separately usually in the pocket or on a key chain and reinserted upon presentation. The segment carries a portion of the owner&#39;&#39;s name and a portion of the serial number of the card, and the segment is not completely separated from the card as originally submitted to the owner. This feature facilitates production and handling of the card and the owner can use the card without detaching the segment if he is not concerned with achieving the extra protection resulting from carrying the parts separately.

United States Patent Archer 1 51 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] METHOD OF MAKING THEFT-PROOF CREDIT CARD Frank Archer, 7826 Prospect Place, La Jolla, Calif. 92037 221 Filed: June 12, 1970 211 Appl.No.: 45,710

[72] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 686,038 11/190] Edgar et al ..283/7 3,505,954 4/1970 Projansky' 101/369 3,511,181 5/1970 McGiffen etal.... ..101/369 3,283,713 11/1966 Wooster ..101/369 Primary Examiner-Clyde I. Coughenour Attorney-Knox & Knox [57] ABSTRACT A credit card or similar identification card is constructed in the form now commonly accepted with the added step of making one segment easily separable from the card to be carried separately usually in the pocket or on a key chain and reinserted upon presentation. The segment carries a portion of the owners name and a portion of the serial number of the card, and the segment is not completely separated from the card as originally submitted to the owner. This feature facilitates production and handling of the card and the owner can use the card without detaching the segment if he is not concerned 1,0843 14 1/1914 Choate 369 with achieving the extra protection resulting from carrying the 3,230,650 1/1966 Orkin ..40/2.2 pans Separately 3,349,701 10/l967 Janzen.... ....l01/369 3,493,230 2/1970 Curzon ..283/8 X 2Claims,4DrawingFigures NATIONAL CREDIT CARD PATENTEDMAR21 1972 3,650,210

NATIONAL CREDIT CARD low Fig.2

IO NATIONAL CREDIT CARD W 4 4 L- FRA HER 4 Fig.3

I6 I 2 lo INVENTOR. FRANK ARCHER m ""\""\"RRW/ BY WSM Fig.4

METHOD OF MAKING THEFT-PROOF CREDIT CARD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Credit cards have personalized information, usually embossed thereon, including the name of the owner and a serial number assigned by the issuer, along with considerable other printed information, such as the name of the issuer, addresses and a brief statement of terms and conditions for use of the card and, on many cards, an expiry date is also embossed on the card. The embossed indicia enables the acceptor of the card, such as a hotel, service station, restaurant or the like, to make the necessary printed copies of the sales slip with this personalized information thereon and the convenience of using such cards is obvious. However, the owner is ordinarily liable for the total of all charges made and reported for the card, even though his card may have been lost or stolen and used by another. Petty racketeers make a business of securing credit cards and not only using the same but selling them to others for misuse in obtaining goods and services. The owner may not be immediately aware of the loss of his card and considerable amounts may be charged against him before he can notify the issuer of his loss. Loss of credit cards in the mails and the proliferation of credit cards, usually unsolicited by the owner is a serious annoyance to many. This is particularly troublesome in the case of unsolicited cards which do not require the signature of the owner on the card. Certain twopart cards have been proposed and patented but these have required extensive modification in the original manufacturing processes of the card, and at least in some instances these prior art cards could be presented to and accepted by unwary, rushed or careless clerks and attendants without requiring the production of the mating part in which case the safety factor inherent in these prior art cards is defeated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Since the novelty in this invention relates to a credit card as distributed to and used, the method must be considered as including the first step of making the card even though this first step results in a card which is somewhat standard and well known, the second principal step of punching, die cutting or like processing of the card for separation, or substantial separation of a segment being the focal point of novelty. Retention of webs to hold the segment in place enables the addition of the personalized information to the card after the cutting step. As claimed, this segment will contain a part, preferably always only a part, of the indicia carrying personalized information on the card. The user of the card may ignore the provision for separation of the segment, in which case small webs holding the segment in place can be left intact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a three dimensional view of a credit card, the indicia being deleted for simplicity of representation, and the segment formed according to this invention being shown separated and raised slightly above the card.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of cards with the segment shown in different positions in the card to illustrate the infinite number of such locations even when limited tothe preferred stipulation that the segment should carry a portion of both the name and number.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT It is a feature of this invention that credit cards manufactured according to current usage can be adapted to the practice of this invention. Such a card is indicated at as a generally rectangular section of uniform thickness sheet material, with radiused corners and generally planar faces. Such a card is suitable for the wallet and is easily inserted into an imprinter such as are used by commercial establishments providing the goods and services to be charged against the owner of the card.

One or both faces of the card carry printed information and personal identification of the card is usually provided by indicia embossed on one face of the card, such as the name 12 of the owner and the serial number 14 assigned by the issuer of the card. Of course cards vary considerably but other information which may be related to the practice of this invention includes the expiry date of card, not illustrated, and this is usually embossed along with the name and number on the card. The name of the issuer of the card probably need not be regarded as necessary to be safeguarded and the usual terms and conditions need not be considered except that it is noteworthy that these are not violated or avoided when the card is modified according to the invention.

A segment 16 is made separable from the card by cutting along a substantially continuous line, by means of a heavy duty punch, die cutter or the like, forming the segment preferably entirely well within the boundaries of the card. The cutting must be such that the owner may easily complete the separation of the segment but small attachment webs 18 may be preserved to hold the segment in place prior to deliberate separation by the owner. This feature enables the manufacture of the card, including the substantially complete cutting of the segment, prior to the embossing of the name and number of the card and this may be found convenient and expeditious in some instances. It is also conceived that some owners would rather leave the segment intact and forego the protection afforded by its use. The issuer of the card in this instance is not prejudiced and a single card construction is adequate for both manners of use.

When removed, the segment 16 will ordinarily be carried separately from the wallet ordinarily used to carry the card and a hole 20 is provided in the segment to facilitate attachment thereof to a key chain, car key ring, regular key holder or the like, it being noteworthy that a quick-release fastener can be used for attachment of the segment to such chain or holder.

In normal use the owner presents the card with the segment 18 to the clerk or attendant of the establishment providing the goods or services to be paid for and the two parts are inserted like any other credit card into the imprinter along with the sales slip to make the usual three copies imprinted with the users name and number and on return to him the segment is again detached from the card to be carried separate from the card, thus achieving the near perfect protection against unauthorized use of the card. In this connection it should be noted that in instances where the issuer is willing to cooperate, the card, less the segment, is mailed first to the prospective owner and on receipt thereof he can request the subsequent mailing to him of the other part, so that damage due to loss in the mails is obviated.

It will now be evident also that practice of this invention does not require any significant changes in the present manufacturing procedures for credit cards, since most credit cards as presently made need only be safetied according to this invention after original manufacture. Furthermore validating machines or imprinters now used by business firms need not be replaced or altered. Finally, the infinite variety of the size, shape and the angle and disposition of the segment 16 on the card is an advantage with possible coding, grouping and identification potential for the issuer.

lt'is also noteworthy that since the segment 16 is the full thickness of the card and when removed the hole left in the card is very noticeable, so obvious in fact that no clerk or attendant could possibly fail to notice the absence of the segment should an unauthorized person attempt to have the incomplete card used for validation of credit. This feature is stressed since salespeople are often rushed and not sufficiently concerned to examine carefully the cards presented to them and the absence of the separable segment in an attempted unauthorized use should be dramatically evident for this reason.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A method of making a credit card which is virtually unusable except by the rightful owner, said method comprisproducing a card having spaces for personal identification indicia thereon;

cutting entirely through the thickness of the card along a substantially continuous line entirely within the periphery of the card to form a conjugate snap-out segment having a portion only of said spaces for indicia thereon, so that said segment of the completed card can be separately carried by the owner and reinserted with the card whenever 

1. A method of making a credit card which is virtually unusable except by the rightful owner, said method comprising: producing a card having spaces for personal identification indicia thereon; cutting entirely through the thickness of the card along a substantially continuous line entirely within the periphery of the card to form a conjugate snap-out segment having a portion only of said spaces for indicia thereon, so that said segment of the completed card can be separately carried by the owner and reinserted with the card whenever the card is used; adding personal identification indicia on said card with a portion only of such indicia on said segment; said cutting being incomplete leaving very small webs holding said segment in place for certain of said owners not desiring the protection afforded by separation of the segment, as well as facilitating embossing of personal identification indicia on the card.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said personal identification indicia are impressed onto the card, including said spaces, after said cutting step. 